Imphal, June 16: At a time when farmers across the country are protesting to demand loan waiver and better prices for their produce, their compatriots in far-off Manipur are adopting latest technology to increase their production.

In Manipur, almost 70 per cent of the population are engaged in agriculture, however, till date, it has not been a profitable livelihood option as most often farming is done for personal consumption. A farmer in Manipur cultivates his paddy field Moreover, because of being hit by militancy and violence for long, Manipuri farmers have hardly managed to sell their produce outside the state. Of late, things are changing. The farmers in Manipur, traditionally paddy cultivators, are diversifying. Thanks to the availability of latest technology, more and more farmers are now engaged in horticulture and cultivating fruits and flowers in a good amount.

In order to understand the use of advanced technologies to enhance their production, the farmers in the state recently took part in a training programme. Around 34 farmers from four districts of Manipur–Imphal West, Thoubal, Chandel and Ukhrul– underwent training on “Advanced techniques in production of important fruits and flowers” at the Central Institute of Horticulture, Medziphema. The three-day-long training-cum-exposure programme ended on Thursday. Addressing the programme, Lallan Ram, director, CIH, stated that horticulture has a huge scope in the region. He emphasized on the fact that farmers being the backbone of Indian economy need such kind of training to equip themselves to become skilled persons. He added that with the aid of technology farmers can increase their production to manifold.